How to Teach Languages with “Among Us”
Open accessAbstract
What is this? A guide to using the popular multiplayer game “Among Us” for teaching languages Why did you make it? Having played the game myself, I recognised its potential as a language learning tool and expect other teachers would appreciate a guide on how to use it. Who is it for? Teachers that would like to harness the social and cultural capital that students possess through knowledge of modern, online, multiplayer video games. What did you include? Post-play worksheets and a number of reasons explaining WHY a teacher may want to use such games in their context
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Among Us can be effectively used to strengthen vocabulary knowledge as players have to create formulaic expressions through collaborative dialogues over repeated game sessions.
“This result seems to confirm York's [49] belief that Among Us can be effectively used to strengthen vocabulary knowledge as players have to create formulaic expressions through collaborative dialogues over repeated game sessions.”
From The Effect of Multiplayer Video Games on Incidental and Intentional L2 Vocabulary Learning: The Case of Among Us (2021) · cites this paper as [49]
In “Cognitive benefits” (page not available), York says that players can practise the same expressions repeatedly and have an opportunity to develop a repertoire of formulaic expressions through interaction. The paper does not specifically establish stronger vocabulary knowledge, and it describes developing that repertoire as an opportunity rather than something players must do. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
SWAIN, M., & LAPKIN, S. (1995) · Applied Linguistics · doi:10.1093/applin/16.3.371 · Cited by 1,407 · see citing works
Theories in Second Language Acquisition: An Introduction
McDonough, K. (2008) · Language and Education · doi:10.2167/le128.0 · Cited by 1,267 · see citing works
Crystal, D. (2001) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9781139164771 · Cited by 1,097 · see citing works
A Theory of Fun for Game Design
Koster, R., & Wright, W. (2004) · Cited by 951 · see citing works
Non-native/Non-native Conversations: A Model for Negotiation of Meaning
Varonis, E. M., & Gass, S. M. (1985) · Applied Linguistics · doi:10.1093/applin/6.1.71 · Cited by 756 · see citing works
Beauvois, M. H. (1992) · Foreign Language Annals · doi:10.1111/j.1944-9720.1992.tb01128.x · Cited by 324 · see citing works
Social Networking in an Intensive English Program Classroom
Reinhardt, J. S., & Zander, V. (2011) · CALICO Journal · doi:10.11139/cj.28.2.326-344 · Cited by 129 · see citing works
Blume, C. (2019) · Computer Assisted Language Learning · doi:10.1080/09588221.2018.1552599 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
A Constructivist Approach to Game-Based Language Learning
York, J., & deHaan, J. W. (2018) · International Journal of Game-Based Learning · doi:10.4018/ijgbl.2018010102 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Self-citationTeaching language and literacy with games: What? How? Why?
deHaan, J. W. (2019) · Ludic Language Pedagogy · doi:10.55853/llp_v1art1 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
‘Facebook Me’ within a Global Community of Learners of English: Technologizing Learner Autonomy
Chik, A., & Breidbach, S. (2014) · Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks · doi:10.1057/9781137290243_6 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Thomas, M. (2012) · Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks · doi:10.1057/9781137005267_2 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Palmer, A. S., & Rodgers, T. S. (1983) · Language Teaching · doi:10.1017/s0261444800009836 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Blume, C. (2019) · CALICO Journal · doi:10.1558/cj.35099 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
It’s your mooooove: Why teaching with games should be like vaporwave (and not nightcore)
York, J. (2020) · Ludic Language Pedagogy · doi:10.55853/llp_v2pg7 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Self-citationHowell, C. (2002) · Studies in Second Language Acquisition · doi:10.1017/s0272263102223062 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
It’s Your Turn: EFL Teaching and Learning with Tabletop Games
York, J., deHaan, J. W., & Hourdequin, P. (2019) · New language learning and teaching environments · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-12567-7_7 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Self-citationdeHaan, J. W. (2020) · Ludic Language Pedagogy · doi:10.55853/llp_v2pg3 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
“At least I’m not Chinese, gay, or female”: Marginalized voices in World of Warcraft
Collister, L. (2016) · De Gruyter eBooks · doi:10.1515/9783110490817-016 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Haskins, C. (2018) · Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism · doi:10.1111/jaac.12424 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
1 of the 21 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Research works printed but not linked: 7
- Chik, A. (2014). Digital Gaming and Language Learning: Autonomy and Community. Language Learning & Technology , 18(182), 85-100. https://doi.org/10125/44371
- DeKeyser, R. (2015). Skill acquisition theory. In B. VanPatten & J. Williams (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition , (2nd ed., pp. 94-112). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
- Ellis, R. (2014). Principles of instructed second language learning. In M. Celce-Murcia, D. M. Brinton, & M. A. Snow (Eds.), Teaching English as a second or foreign language (pp. 31-45). Boston: Heinle.
- Huizinga, J. (1955) Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play Element in Culture . Beacon Press, Boston, MA.
- Krashen, S. (1977) The monitor model for adult second language performance. In Burt, M., Dulay, H. & Finocchiaro, M. (eds.) Viewpoints in English as a second language (pp.152-161). New York: Regents.
- Salen, K. & Zimmerman, E. (2004) Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals , The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.
- Swain, M. (2000). The output hypothesis and beyond: Mediating acquisition through collaborative dialogue. In J. Lantolf (Ed.), Sociocultural theory and second language (pp. 97-114). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Calvo-Ferrer, J. R., & Belda-Medina, J. (2021) · Multimodal Technologies and Interaction · doi:10.3390/mti5120080 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
“This result seems to confirm York’s [49] belief that Among Us can be effectively used to strengthen vocabulary knowledge as players have to create formulaic expressions through collaborative dialogues over repeated game sessions.”
MethodResultInfluentialYork, J., Poole, F. J., & deHaan, J. W. (2021) · Foreign Language Annals · doi:10.1111/flan.12585 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Self-citationSingh, M., & Sun, D. (2025) · Interactive Learning Environments · doi:10.1080/10494820.2025.2459200 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Ludic Language Pedagogy is MMM … way more delicious than digital game-based language learning
York, J., & deHaan, J. W. (2021) · Ludic Language Pedagogy · doi:10.55853/llp_v3pg1 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Self-citationBuendgens-Kosten, J. (2022) · The JALT CALL Journal · doi:10.29140/jaltcall.v18n3.548 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“York (2020) provides some relevant suggestions for debriefing with GBLL in general that could be adapted for this purpose.”
Digital games and gaming in language learning and teaching
Reinhardt, J. S., & Bain, L. (2026) · Language Teaching · doi:10.1017/s0261444826101177 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Artificial worlds and artificial minds: Authenticity and language learning in digital lifeworlds
Matthews, B. (2025) · Journal of Responsible Technology · doi:10.1016/j.jrt.2025.100131 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Digital Game-Mediated Language Learning for Adults
Gee, E. R., & Gao, Y. (2022) · ADULT LITERACY EDUCATION THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LITERACY LANGUAGE AND NUMERACY · doi:10.35847/egee.ygao.4.1.67 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Pedagogical Approaches to Digital Game-Based Language Learning and Teaching
Bain, L., & Reinhardt, J. S. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-51447-0_349-1
Designing game-based L2 courses for university-level learners
Raza, F., & Asad, A. (2025) · Ludic Language Pedagogy · doi:10.55853/llp_v7ar1
Incidental vocabulary learning through gaming
Suprapas, I., & González‐Fernández, B. (2026) · ITL Review of Applied Linguistics · doi:10.1075/itl.25017.sup
- Authors
- York, J.
- Affiliations
- Tokyo Denki University (JP)
- Corresponding author
- York, James
- ORCID
- York, James
- Venue
- Ludic Language Pedagogy
- Publisher
- Ludic Language Pedagogy
- Published
- 2020-10-25
- Volume
- 2
- Pages
- 269-283
- ISSN
- 2435-2349 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3118091795
- Cited by
- 10
- References
- 21
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 3
- FWCI
- 1.51
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Ludic Language Pedagogy (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Games and Gamification
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Games and Media
- Keywords
- Among Us, video games in language teaching, multiplayer games, game-based learning, language learning, social and cultural capital, online games
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review